Total solar eclipse: What will weather be like on path of totality?

(NewsNation) — People around the country are waiting in anticipation to watch a total solar eclipse make its way through the United States on Monday.

It’s the last time this will happen in the U.S. for two decades, so many are traveling to what’s called the “path of totality” — unless they plan to stream the eclipse online.

However, what can be seen in a solar eclipse depends on where you view it, and the weather in that location. 

To be able to see the total solar eclipse in all of its stages, you have to be in the path of totality, which NASA describes as the locations on Earth where the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun.

Those who aren’t in that path could still see a partial eclipse, where the Moon is over most, but not all, of the Sun.

To get the “full eclipse experience,” as NASA calls it, one needs need clear skies, although the “eerie daytime darkness” is still noticeable with cloud cover. 

This year, the eclipse’s path will enter the United States from Texas, and travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan could also see a total solar eclipse before it enters Canada and then exits continental North America at 5:16 p.m. NDT. 

According to the Weather Channel, places with the highest chance of rain are the western Gulf Coast, Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley, as well as parts of central and eastern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Storms are predicted for north-central Texas, southern Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana although the Weather Channel notes that these won’t likely start developing until the end of the eclipse. 

Potential light rain and showers could be in the forecast for some places in the Midwest and Northern Plains, Southern California and the Southwest. Snow might even be seen in the Rockies. 

However, even if you are in for some rainier weather on Monday, don’t despair. 

“Even if the pattern looks wetter, that doesn’t necessarily mean a couple of hours on Monday won’t offer at least glimpses, if not full views, of the eclipse,” the Weather Channel wrote. 

However, AccuWeather forecaster Paul Pastelok warns that most places within the path of totality will likely deal with “some level of clouds” as they watch the eclipse. 

“There is a concern today that a band of clouds will move across western/central Pennsylvania and New York around the time of the eclipse,” Pastelok said. “There is even a possibility of a passing shower. This could lower viewing opportunity for a couple of hours.”

Forecaster Marc Chenard of the Weather Prediction Center, meanwhile, told USA Today that “varying degrees of cloudiness” are likely to the Ohio Valley. 

According to Weather Channel meteorologists, those wanting the best weather in the country for viewing the eclipse should make their way to northern New England, and there will be less cloud cover from Maine to the Eastern Carolinas. Along with New England, Pastelok says the best locations for viewing include the interior Southwest, and parts of the mid-Atlantic, especially east of the Appalachians.

“Cities like Philadelphia, Washington D.C. New York City and Raleigh should all have great views,” Pastelok said.